2018 NBA Mock Draft: Way too early edition

Kentucky wing Hamidou Diallo took his early entry decision down to the wire on Wednesday night, ultimately deciding to return to Lexington. Diallo joined the Wildcats for the spring semester after starting the year in prep school, but he opted to just practice with the team for various reasons.

Diallo remains a bit of a mystery with only his high school performance and Combine measurements for NBA teams to rely on. At the NBA Draft Combine, he checked all of the boxes. Measuring 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, he has excellent size to play the shooting guard spot. That length combined with his elite athleticism — his 44.5-inch vertical was the best mark at the event — give him the potential to be a multi-position defender at the next level.

Diallo still needs to unlock more of his offensive potential, though. He struggled to shoot it both from the foul line and from behind the 3-point arc in high school, which will make it tough to keep him on the floor in important situations where teams can simply scheme against him. However, he’s a monster in transition and can get to the rack in straight line drives in the halfcourt. There’s potential here, but Diallo remains a bit of a canvas that still needs plenty of paint.